Kukla's Korner Hockey

This week, we examine the 10 best contracts in the league right now: players who will have no problem living up to the dollar figures in their deals.

1. John Tavares (5 more seasons, $5.5 m cap hit)

The Islanders haven’t made a lot of smart business decisions over the past two decades, but locking up Tavares to a long-term deal last summer is certainly an exception. Tavares has emerged as a top-five talent in the NHL and this deal is ridiculously cheap when compared to other superstars. Consider this: Shawn Horcoff, Mike Ribeiro, Patrick Elias and Daniel Alfredsson will all carry the exact same cap hit as Tavares this season.

2. Craig Anderson (2 more seasons, $3.19 m cap hit)

The going rate for a reliable starting goaltender in the National Hockey League begins in the range of $5.5-million range. Two netminders who are similar to Anderson — Jimmy Howard and Mike Smith — signed deals in that neighborhood this past summer. However, Anderson has provided elite goaltending for the Senators at a fraction of that cost since joining them in 2011 and still has two more seasons left on his deal.